Blood of Patriots
/Gallery}} Blood of Patriots is the tenth episode of the second season of ''The Orville''. Peace talks with the Krill are interrupted when the [[USS Orville|USS Orville]] receives two escaped Human prisoners accused of harboring a devastating weapon. The title derives from a famous quote by Thomas Jefferson, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants;" found in a 1787 letter to William Stephens Smith.Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to William Stephens Smith (Nov. 13, 1787). Library of Congress. Last accessed Feb. 21, 2019. In fact, the episode is an extended metaphor. The ''Davoro'kos'', meaning "bringer of blood" in Krillain, pursues Orrin Channing, an escaped prisoner. Orrin calls himself a patriot and uses Envall blood as a weapon for vengeance and to prevent peace with the tyrannical Krill. His inglorious death ensures peace and ultimately "refreshes" the "tree of liberty." Blood of Patriots was written by Seth MacFarlane and directed by Rebecca Rodriguez. Music was composed by John Debney. Actors Mackenzie Astin and Aily Kei guest star as Orrin and Leyna Channing respectively. Audiences enjoyed the episode as an exciting mystery-thriller that fleshes out Gordon's backstory for the first time, set one month after the Battle of Earth. It holds a rating of 8.2 on IMDB, slightly above the show's average.Episode List. IMDB. Last accessed May 13, 2019. 2.935 million Americans watched the episode live.The Orville:Season Two Ratings. TV Series Finale. Last accessed March 13, 2019. Plot Act 1 The entire crew is gathered in the Mess Hall where Captain Ed Mercer awards Lieutenant Yaphit the Sapphire Star for his heroism during the Kaylon conflict. After the ceremony, Mercer, First Officer Kelly Grayson, Chief Engineer John LaMarr, Second Officer Bortus, and Helmsman Gordon Malloy enjoy shots of Eldorian vodka when a message from Admiral Perry interrupts. Mercer and Grayson talk to the Admiral in the Briefing Room. Perry has heartening news: the Krill are ready to negotiate a peace treaty and Mercer is to sign a Lak'vai pact, a "sort of prelude to a peace treaty" that "indicates that both parties will approach the table in good faith." The [[USS Orville|USS Orville]] is to rendezvous with the Krill destroyer ''Davoro'kos'' in orbit over Tarazed 3 to meet with an ambassadorial detachment. Both ships arrive at Tarazed. Suddenly, a damaged shuttle flees from the Davoro'kos. A voice requests an emergency docking in the Orville. The shuttle slams into the Shuttle Bay, knocking the pilot - a Human man - unconscious. An emergency team including Malloy and Doctor Claire Finn rush to the Bay. Another Human woman is in the shuttle as well, conscious but terrified and mute, and refuses to be medically scanned. Malloy is about to secure the main console of the shuttlecraft when he sees the face of the unconscious pilot. "Oh, my God. Orrin." Act 2 The Krill demand the Orville hand the pilot over, accused of destroying four Krill vessels, three of which occurred after a ceasefire was reached with the Planetary Union. The Ambassador is convinced that he holds a powerful weapon, but he is not sure what it is and Union scanners picked up nothing. The detachment is invited to the Orville and Mercer quietly instructs Chief of Security Talla Keyali to delay their entry with frivolous regulations. Orrin is treated in Sick Bay and he and his daughter are assigned guest quarters. He states that he has been held with her in a Krill prison camp for 20 years (and his daughter has not spoken a word in twelve years), but they escaped six weeks ago by a captured shuttle. The long journey was because their shuttle ran out of plasma for the quantum drive. Keyali continues to the delay the attachment but she runs out of ideas. Mercer investigates whether Orrin did destroy the ships, to no avail. When the Captain meets the Ambassador, he tries to pivot the conversation to the importance of peace between worlds, but the Ambassador is unmoved. "Our ship will return in 12 hours. You have that long to decide if this will be a Lak'vai or a battleground." Act 3 Leyna plays Bolodon discs while Malloy and Orrin reminisce about their early days and reflect over Orrin's lost wife Sophie. Orrin believes peace with the Krill would be a "slap in the face" of Sophie and others who have died. In the Mess Hall, Keyali teaches Leyna to play the pelpifa. Mercer meets Keyali in her office for her opinion on Orrin. Though she does not trust him, she admits there is no evidence against him and finds his anger justified. Orrin pays a visit to Engineering, amazed by how much has changed in 20 years, and meanders through the corridors until finding a room of empty quantum storage cells. Keyali enters and he quickly leaves. Act 4 Keyali reports Orrin as suspicious to the commanders, but none of them feel his behavior was wrong. The commanders then speak with Admiral Perry, who tells them that Planetary Union Central is considering extraditing Orrin if he is proven guilty of destroying the Krill vessels. Malloy watches Planet of the Apes with Leyna in her quarters when Mercer visits. The Captain wants to know if Orrin ever hinted he might have violated the ceasefire, but Malloy takes his inquiry as an offense and is flabbergasted when Mercer mentions possible extradition. Malloy changes his mind and thinks the Lak'vai is a mistake. Act 5 Malloy tells Orrin that the admirals are considering extradition. "Political snakes," Orrin comments and then suggests a way to prevent Lak'vai, but Gordon must obtain a shuttle. Meanwhile, LaMarr finds two quantum storage cells were taken from the Engineering Supply Area but no quantum plasma was missing. Mercer concludes, "All this guy has done is steal a bunch of pens from the office." Over glasses of Xelayan rum, Malloy tells Keyali about Orrin's idea but asks for time to speak with his old friend before she arrests him. He leaves and leads Orrin to the Shuttle Bay. Act 6 Keyali catches the men in the Shuttle Bay but Malloy shoots her with a PM-44, and the two leave. It was a ruse designed to trick Orrin: on the Bridge, the crew tracks the shuttle with a hidden device and Keyali reports in that the gun was set to stun. However, under Orrin's direction, Malloy unexpectedly diverts the shuttle to the Davoro'kos. Keyali visits Leyna and spies syringe marks across her arm. Leyna attacks Keyali with a knife, but the Security Chief easily knocks her to the wall. Keyali is shocked to see Leyna bleed yellow-orange blood from her nose. Finn arrives and orders a Level 12 Force Field around the room and all nitrogen to be removed. Leyna is not Orrin's daughter but an Envall: a species with blood that is explosively reactive with nitrogen. Orrin uses compressed Envall blood extracted from Leyna as a weapon against the Krill. Orrin explains his plan to Malloy, which prompts him to hail the Orville. Orrin is enraged and the two fight. Malloy takes control of a PM-44 but Orrin activates a cell containing Leyna's blood. Malloy shoots the control panel of the shuttle. Malloy tells him that they must leave but Orrin, now despondent and angry, refuses, preferring to die in the shuttle. The shuttle explodes and Malloy drifts through space until the Orville grabs him by tractor beam. In the Briefing Room, Mercer and the Ambassador sign the Lak'vai. Mercer enters Malloy's quarters to find him staring at a photo of himself and Orrin from their younger years. "Orrin died a long time ago back in that Krill prison." Mercer apologizes for his jealousy of Malloy's friendship with Orrin. The two leave for a beer and to talk about his friend. Production Filming'' began on August 13, 2018, under the direction of Rebecca Rodriguez.@SethMacFarlane. "Way to go Rebecca Rodriguez on a stellar first day directing #theorville!". Twitter. Aug. 13, 2018. Reception Viewership General audiences welcomed ''Blood of Patriots warmly as a chapter which weaved a mystery story into the aftermath of the Battle of Earth. It currently holds a rating of 8.2 on IMDB, slightly above the show's average and a strong rating overall.Episode List. IMDB. Last accessed May 13, 2019. 2.935 million Americans watched the episode live.The Orville:Season Two Ratings. TV Series Finale. Last accessed March 13, 2019. Critical response Professional critics gave the episode a more muted, but overall positive, reception. Nick Wanserski of the AV Club enjoyed the episode. "The show has been long overdue on delivering a Gordon episode," he commented.Wanserski, Nick. "Bad blood threatens peace on The Orville". AV Club. March 8, 2019. Jammer of Jammer's Reviews found the episode was a "standard" plot, but one that allowed Gordon to "break out of his usual role as the wisecracking comic relief."Epsicokhan, Jamal. "Blood of Patriots". Jammer's Reviews. Last accessed May 13, 2019. Trivia * Outtakes and bloopers from this episode were compiled by the show's editors for the Season 2 wrap party and were published by the Planetary Union Network.THE ORVILLE SEASON 2 GAG REEL. Planetary Union Network. April 30, 2019. * Yaphit wins a Sapphire Star for his heroics during the Battle of Earth. This is the second time a crew member of the Orville has won the medal, the first being Chief of Security Alara Kitan in the episode ''Command Performance''. * The Krill ambassador reveals that the four ships destroyed by Orrin had a combined complement of 1,200 Krill. This would indicate that the average Krill ship, presumably the prolific Krill destroyer, has a crew complement equal to that of the ''Exploratory''-class , which was previously noted to have a complement of 300.Episode 2x02: Primal Urges * The Krill ambassador signs his initials K.T.Z. in the Krillain language. * The Orville and Davoro'kos orbit the planet Tarazed 3. Tarazed is a common alternative name for the star Gamma Aquilae, which sits 395 light years away in the constellation Aquila. ** With the Orville's top flight speed established as just over 10 light years per hour,Episode 1x05: Pria that means Tarazed 3 is roughly one day, 15 hours, and 30 minutes from Earth. * This episode features the destruction of shuttlecraft ECV-197-1. * This episode marks the second appearance of the Chief of Security's Office, which was previously seen in Episode 1x05: Pria. A Food Synthesizer has now been installed there. * Orrin is missing a piece of his right ear. ** In real life, this is the result of an injury actor Mackenzie Astin suffered in the 1990s. Timeline * Mercer and the Ambassador note that the ceasefire between the Union and the Krill was signed thirty days earlier, which means this episode takes place at least one month after the events in ''Identity, Pt. 2''. References * Several previous episodes are mentioned or referenced: ** Talla requires Ambassador K.T.Z., the Captain of the Davoro'kos, and the High Priest of the Davoro'kos to urinate into sample containers in a corner of the Shuttle Bay. They end up urinating in "the pee corner" in ''Identity, Pt. 2''. ** The recent Kaylon conflict occurred in the preceding episode Identity, Pt. 2. ** Admiral Tucker mentions Ed and Gordon's undercover mission aboard the Krill vessel Yakar, ''which happened in ''Krill. *** Ed later recalls the Yakar's intention to wipe out a Union colony. ** Ed's relationship with Teleya spanned Ja'loja ''till Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes.'' * Leyna and Gordon watch the movie Planet of the Apes. * A Battle of Tarazed was previously mentioned in Ja'loja. * The episode bears some similarity with the Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. McVeigh often cited Jefferson's quote on "the tree of liberty" and, on the day of his terrorist attack, wore a t-shirt with the quote beneath a picture of the "blood of patriots and tyrants" dripping from a tree. Mistakes * Talla reports that she thoroughly scanned Leyna, Orrin, and their shuttle and reported "no weapons of any kind." Later in the episode, Leyna holds a dagger to Talla's throat she could not possibly have. Cast Main cast * Seth MacFarlane as Capt. Ed Mercer * Adrianne Palicki as Cmdr. Kelly Grayson * Peter Macon as Lt. Cmdr. Bortus * J. Lee as Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr * Jessica Szohr as Lt. Talla Keyali * Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Claire Finn * Scott Grimes as Lt. Gordon Malloy * Mark Jackson as Isaac Special guest cast * Mackenzie Astin as Orrin Channing * Aily Kei as Leyna Channing Recurring cast *Mike Henry as Dann *Ted Danson as Admiral Perry *J. Paul Boehmer as High Priest *Norm Macdonald as Yaphit *Francis Lloyd Corby as Crewman Guest cast *Robin Atkins Downes as Krill Detachment Officer *Jim Mahoney as Brosk *John Fleck as Ambassador K.T.Z. See also * Season 2 DVD References 210